I wasn't able to download and read this book due to a bad flare up of lyme disease. I apologize to Netgalley and the publisher and author. I read the previous book in this series and absolutely loved it. The writing was superb.

This was a middle-of-the-road read for me. While I liked a lot of aspects, there were some things I disliked, and overall, I just didn't feel strongly enough about the book to really warrant adding an in-depth review to the blog.

This book was one of the dark horses of 2017. I had no idea what to expect when I picked it up and was constantly surprised at the story. Bravo!

This was an incredibly well-researched book that focused a great deal on the ill-fated siblings of Cleopatra, Arsinoe and Ptolemy. These are figures from the time period that many are completely unaware of so I was delighted to see them here. I also loved the representation of the Romans and their intrigue. Historical figures such as Pompey and Caesar made appearances.

This novel did a great job at making you feel for Cleopatra's brother and sister, Ptolemy in particular. But Cleopatra herself was not nearly as sympathetic.. She was an unlikable character that I simply didn't care for (and the historical Cleopatra is one of my favorite figures in history!). I appreciated the new take on a character who is frequently just shown as a tragic figure but it was to her detriment, I felt.

All the elements of great historical are alive and well in the novel. Despite being the second book in a series, you needn't have read the first one in order to understand the plot. It adds depth to the story of Cleopatra and the end of the Ptolemy dynasty. Reading about the inner workings of the palace, the politics of the day, and the intrigue and scandal that went on between Cleopatra and Ptolemy, and their respective parties of advisors and syncophants was engaging and left me highly anticipating the next novel in the series (if there is one).

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy, are named co-rulers of Egypt in their father's will. When he dies, they are married and expected to rule together. However, neither wants to share their power. Their sister, Arsinoe, is caught between them. She has always been close to Cleopatra, but those loyal to Ptolemy hope to use her as a tool to dethrone Cleopatra and install Arsinoe in her place.

After reading this book, I don't think I have ever been more glad not to have been born into a royal family. The plot wasn't bad, but it didn't keep me enthralled, either. Arsinoe started out likable, but by the end of the novel, I didn't want any of the siblings to succeed. I did not realize until I had finished the book that this is the second in a series, but it works well as a standalone novel, too.

Great, great book! Loved it. I really can't wait what this author has next.

What a wonderfully written book. This book captured my imagination and had my heart in ancient Egypt for days after finishing the book.
The story of Cleopatra has been told many times but none have been written like this, as this focuses on her siblings Arsinoe & Ptolemy. These siblings which have been looked over many a time in history come to life in this book.
Arsinoe transforms before our eyes throughout this story as her relationship with Cleopatra unravels. Ptolemy, the "too"-young King, struggles with title as he comes of age as the most powerful man alive.
The Drowning King a captivating novel that can stand alone throughout time

Egypt 51BC - the House of Ptolemy is about to take its final steps on the political stage. The power struggle that is about to unfold is centred around three siblings - sisters Cleopatra & Arsinoe, and their brother Ptolemy. Fueling the flames are a cast of political hangers-on, palace eunuchs, Egyptians and Romans.

We all know the story of Cleopatra - but it is not her narrative in that the story is not told from her perspective as in many other novels. Arsinsoe and Ptolemy are the ones to give voice to events as they are unfolding in Egypt from the time of the death of their father. Here, Cleopatra is seen from their point of view. And it is a very different Cleopatra - "traitor, whore, handmaiden of Rome". Is she a naive pawn of the Roman Empire, is it all posturing and sleight of hand, or is she truly, the sly and cunning minx.

This is an easy to follow narrative. Even though I had not read the first in this series "Cleopatra's Shadows", the story of what transpired before is easily picked up - Arsinoe is our faithful reporter. It probably also helped that I was already familiar with the "guts" of the story prior to picking this book up.

I found the alternating narrative (between Arsinoe and Ptolemy) not confusing at all, but well structured. We are immediately drawn to both the characters of Arsinoe and Ptolemy, in particular, who you can't help but feel sympathetic towards - outwitted at every turn by his two cunning and politically adept sisters.

Not once did I consider putting the book aside - the storytelling itself constantly builds - think of a snowball hurtling downhill, all the while getting bigger as it builds momentum, barreling towards its inevitable conclusion - a cliff-hanger! Yes, we are left wondering ... what now???

Eagerly awaiting Book 3 in this series - then who knows, back to reading them all one after the other.

I managed to make it through 52% of The Drowning King. The amount read was measured using my Kindle. The book was slow and plodded along. The story is a familiar one, and could have been a great story, if the writing had been something I enjoyed. In particular I tired of reading sexually oriented material which did little to enhance the book. I don't mind reading books with some sexual material as long as the sexual material adds to the book. For example I gave the book Yesternight: A Novel a good review as the writing was excellent and the sex scenes fit the story. In The Drowning King it seems like the sex scenes were tossed in as filler and did little to add to the storyline. The language is salty in places too. Here are a few snippets I found:

"Ptolemy woke to sticky sheets and a sticky web of half-forgotten dreams."
"You may f**k your serving girl..."

Of course the above could change once the final copy is printed.

I like to read books with a good plot and good writing that does not depend on profanity to tell a story.

I probably won't finish this book as I already know how the story ends. I might have stuck it out, if the writing was better.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

The Drowning King by Emily Holleman is the second book in A Fall of Egypt series. This book can be read as a stand alone novel or as a sequel to Cleopatras Shadows.

This book tells of the reign of Cleopatra and her brother Potolomey, her coruler. It has alternating viewpoints from that of they young Potolomey, a boy of around twelve and king, as well as Arisone, Cleopatra' s younger sister who is loyal to her.

We are taken on a journey through Ancient Egypt and the fight for power between Cleopatra and her brother. They both are trying to rule alone rather than together. This book is filled with palace intrigue and history. I loved this book.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra, or just historical fiction.

I acknowledge that I received this book free of charge from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

I really couldn't get into this book like I had hoped I would. I loved the characters, but I kind of hoped for a romantic story starting from the beginning. I only got about a quarter of the way through the book before I had to put it down and give up. It was written very well just not my cup of tea I suppose.

My general response to this book was the same as to Cleopatra's Shadows. It was a great concept, I liked the idea of seeing the history of the era through the eyes of Arsinoe and Ptolemy, but again it just seemed a bit plodding and the characters fell somewhere between flat and too shallow to care about. I did learn some things, and I certainly can't fault Holleman for her research. Will I try one more in this series? Maybe, maybe not.

A refreshing take on the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

This has all the elements of great historical fiction. It brings so much more to the story of Cleopatra and the end Ptolemy dynasty. It was so interesting to read about the inner workings of the palace, the politics of the day, and the intrigue and scandal that went on between Cleopatra and Ptolemy, and their respective parties of advisors and syncophants.
The character that appealed most to me was Arsinoe. I liked her spirit and understood her dilemma of loyalties. Her inner turmoil is something many siblings can relate to, at least on a smaller scale. Was she jealous of Cleopatra? Did she seek power for herself? Whom did she owe her chief loyalty to; Egypt, herself, Cleopatra?
The book also does a good job of humanizing the mythic Cleopatra. It is often forgotten how young she was when she was crowned or how hard it was to maintain. She is portrayed as sometimes vulnerable, sometimes stubborn, often unforgiving, but always aware of her position and duty.
I would recommend this book to anyone. It was an amazing story.

A well-researched historical fiction written from the point of view of Arsinoe and Ptolemy, Cleopatra's ill-starred siblings. I didn't even know that Cleopatra had a sister. And, I only knew Cleopatra had a brother because of his infamous gaffe when he presented Caesar with Pompey's head.

The Ptolemys were a storied dynasty. Descended from one of Alexander the Great's generals, they had the charming tradition of marrying their siblings. This politically motivated inbreeding kept all of the power in the family. There's a lot of weird brother/sister vibes in this book, but it's historically accurate. If that kind of thing freaks you out, you'd be better off avoiding this read.

The Drowning King takes advantage of these unknown characters to spin the history in a different way. I can't say that I was a fan of all of the changes.

This is a pretty good historical novel, told from the alternating perspectives of Ptolemy and Arsinoe, the younger siblings of Cleopatra, as they resist her decision to side with Julius Caesar and Rome. This allows for a critical view of very familiar principal figures, but isn't quite novel enough to escape the well-known outcome.